What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape

By Sohaila Abdulali

Thoughtful, provocative and intelligent, this game-changing book looks at sexual assault and the global discourse on rape from the viewpoint of a survivor, writer, counsellor and activist.

Sohaila Abdulali was the first Indian rape survivor to speak out about her experience. Gang-raped as a teenager in Mumbai and indignant at the deafening silence on the issue in India, she wrote an article for a women’s magazine questioning how we perceive rape and rape victims. Thirty years later she saw the story go viral in the wake of the fatal 2012 Delhi rape and the global outcry that followed.

Drawing on three decades of grappling with the issue personally and professionally, and on her work with hundreds of other survivors, she explores what we think about rape and what we say. She also explores what we don’t say, and asks pertinent questions about who gets raped and who rapes, about consent and desire, about redemption and revenge, and about how we raise our sons. Most importantly, she asks: does rape always have to be a life-defining event, or is it possible to recover joy?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Myriad Editions
• Release date: Oct 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781912408078

Sohaila Abdulali

Sohaila Abdulali was born in Mumbai and moved to the United States with her family when she was a teenager. Since then, she has lived in both countries. She has a BA from Brandeis University in economics and sociology and an MA from Stanford University in communication. Her undergraduate thesis dealt with the socio-economics of rape in India. She is the author of two novels as well as children's books and short stories. Her writing frequently appears in The Guardian and other newspapers. She lives in New York with her husband and their daughter.

Reviews for What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape

[arlenadean · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Title: What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape Author: Sohaila AbdulaliPublisher: The New PressReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: FiveReview:"What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape" by Sohaila AbdulaliMy Thoughts...This was definitely one incredible read where one will get a wide range of topics under this subject: RAPE. This well written novel will cover this subject from a 'political opinion, factual evidence and personal narratives' that is a easy read even though its a heavy topic with some horrible stories. I definitely found this information definitely eye opening as well as terrifying in what went on. Again, I will say this was quite a read where Sohaila Abdulali will draw one into her own 'experience that she had with rape and its aftermath.' This subject will not be a easy novel to read but in the end one will get a full understanding of what these survivors went through and yet it 'sends a message of empowerment for women.'Thank you to both NetGalley and The New Press for my ARC of this book.

[adelaide1_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was mesmerized by the first page. This book illustrates the true conformity that people have succumbed to in order to simply exist. Abdulali is compassionate and direct in understanding people’s inability to change due to so many circumstances. She shows that regardless of fear, we must all fight against the “social norms” that we have allowed to continue in this still patriarchal society. Take the time to reflect and ask yourself if you are the type of person who will blame a victim of sexual crime, or who understands that it’s a crime but believes that change will never come; especially if you are a woman. We must hold people accountable, including ourselves. Rape is not a woman’s issues, it is a human being’s issue. Even with the strong direct language, this book is not a preach, it is a true word of experience and hope that tomorrow no person will endure the trauma of this horrible crime.